Council to consider purchase of property for municipal court

Published 1:12 pm, Monday, February 13, 2012

The 400 block of North Loraine,where the Bank of America drive through is located, is being considered for the new Municipal Court location. Photo by Tim Fischer/Midland Reporter-Telegram

The 400 block of North Loraine,where the Bank of America drive through is located, is being considered for the new Municipal Court location. Photo by Tim Fischer/Midland Reporter-Telegram

Photo: Tim Fischer

Council to consider purchase of property for municipal court

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A new municipal courthouse could be constructed across from City Hall if the Midland City Council gives the nod today for staff to begin negotiations for a property on Loraine Street.

At 10 a.m., the council will consider allowing City Manager Courtney Sharp and City Attorney Keith Stretcher to negotiate the purchase of the 90,000-square-foot Bank of America property located at 405 N. Loraine St.

"It was a large enough site inclusively that it just worked well for our needs," said Robert Patrick, director of General Services.

If purchased, the Bank of America structure would be demolished and a new municipal court building constructed in its place, Patrick said.

The proposed courthouse would span about 24,000 square feet, which is about three times larger than the present courthouse. The remainder of the property would be used for about 130 parking spaces, landscaping and setbacks, Patrick said.

The city started looking at the possibility of a new municipal courthouse a few years ago. It was agreed the city needed to move forward on the project at the council's 2011 spring retreat.

"We just flat out don't have any space," Municipal Court Judge Robin Smith said earlier when speaking about the need for a new building.

The city looked at several downtown properties, as well as some Patrick said were outside of downtown, before settling on the Bank of America lot on Loraine Street. There also were discussions about moving the municipal courthouse into the former Midland County Courthouse on Wall Street.

However, Mayor Wes Perry had said the cost to refurbish that facility likely would have cost more than building a new courthouse while still not fully serving the public's needs.

Patrick said the property on Loraine Street is owned by HPG Acquisition LLC., which is based in Midland.

If the lot is acquired, it's anticipated construction would start in early 2013, Patrick said.

In addition to allowing for more space, Smith had said the new courthouse will be designed to allow for better service to the public and more efficiency among staff.

Along with considering the start of negotiations for the purchase of the land, the council also will look today at hiring Brinkley Sargent Architects, Inc. to perform architectural services for the construction of the new facility.

The firm was recommended by a committee that looked at proposals submitted by six different firms.

The purchase price for the property being considered has not been determined; that will occur during negotiations, Patrick said. Whatever price is agreed to will have to be approved by the council, he said.

It's estimated the courthouse project will run about $8 million in total.

The project will be paid for in cash, mostly through excess sales tax revenue, Sharp had said. The municipal court also had saved about $1.5 million in its reserves to put toward the project.